Relying on video marketing as a B2B is perhaps the best thing you can do.
But B2Bs still hesitate going all in, especially when it comes to explainer videos.
They’re haunted by one single question: What’s in it for me?
A qualitative answer to this just scratches the surface.
I want to give you a more tangible picture of the possibilities.
In this blog, we’ll look at 7 concrete reasons why B2B explainer videos are worth your time and money.
And actionable insights on how you can get the most out of such videos for your business.
On the surface, explainer videos simply mean “videos that explain”.
But it is rarely this one-dimensional.
Explainer videos are visual mediums that mold themselves according to your use case
Applications may include:
All in all, explainer videos are the voice B2Bs use to connect with their audience in a way that it demands attention and drives comprehension.
But this is just a glimpse into what explainer videos are truly capable of.
To make B2Bs truly go all in on explainer videos, we need to make our perspective irrefutable.
And that’s exactly what I attempt to do in the next section coming right up.
One of the best reasons why B2Bs need explainer videos is because of their simplicity.
But that’s a vague reason that’ll rarely get anyone excited.
So let’s get into the specifics and explore seven compelling reasons for investing in explainer videos.
Starting with…
When it comes to using B2B explainer videos to facilitate comprehension,
This quote by Albert Einstein always comes to mind:
“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough”
But here’s where things get interesting.
As a B2B, you understand your offering better than your customers.
But if your customers don’t feel the same thing, it draws them away from your products and services.
Which is where explainer videos can make branding and comprehension not only easy but also memorable.
And the latest numbers by Backlinko also point to the same thing, showing videos to be 90% effective in boosting brand awareness and retaining viewer attention.
Effectiveness of explainer videos in boosting brand awareness (Source: Backlinko)
For instance, if you offer a B2B SaaS product that has multiple features and solves various problems, explaining its entire scope can be a challenge.
But through an explainer video, it not only seems doable but also obvious.
And it does so without boring the audience and making an impact where it matters the most.
Imagine you’re a B2B in the healthcare industry.
And you've just developed a flagship medical product that will help medical professionals tremendously.
But one look at your pitch deck and you realize something is off.
It feels too salesy with too much emphasis on the hard sell.
This is actually a deterrent to building trust.
Which may cost you 87% of your customers as found in a survey by Sinch.
Important customer engagement statistics for B2Bs (Source: Sinch)
But Sinch’s survey also found something interesting.
They found 80% of brands planning to implement conversational customer engagement in their marketing.
Here’s what I’m trying to infer here.
Your videos need to convince your customers why they should trust you.
And that comes from keeping your presentation personal and conversational.
Something B2B explainer videos do really well.
In our healthcare scenario, an explainer video with medical animation can make your product instantly exciting.
I digress but you get the point.
They turn your sales pitch into a visual story that feels much more compelling than sitting through a lengthy hard selling session.
I already sound like a broken record when I say explainer videos are great at simplifying complex concepts.
But this statement needs a bit more context.
Simplification, from a B2B perspective, is just another word for establishing balance.
If you simplify your message too much, the customer can feel like you’re talking down to them.
On the other hand, if you go with a more detailed approach to simplification, it can bore the audience and drive them away,
Again, balance is the name of the game here, especially when it comes to B2B video marketing.
Which is where explainer videos shine the best.
They take important aspects of your message and distill it into a video that’s 60 to 90 seconds long.
While it can also go beyond 2 minutes, here’s the best part.
The information that would have taken you hours to understand now feels second nature in a matter of minutes.
A comprehensive survey by Sprout Social tried to find the most important type of content brands focused on the most in 2023 as compared to 2022.
Here’s what they found.
Videos still remain the most popular type of branded content among B2Bs (Source: Sprout Social)
As you can see, videos ranging from as low as 5-seconds long (short-form videos) to more than 60-seconds long (explainer videos) were top priority as branded content.
What does this video marketing trend tell us?
For one, videos are a much more dynamic medium to help customers feel close with their favorite brands.
But the most important thing we can infer is that brands have found an effective medium in videos to drive conversions.
In a B2B setting, conversion rates are super important.
With Semrush finding conversions to be among the top 5 metrics B2Bs use to track content performance.
The importance of conversions in B2B content marketing (Source: Semrush)
Conversion rates keep B2B sales funnels active and drive business growth in the long term.
Not to mention, it also plays a role in enhancing SEO and referral marketing efforts as well.
Since we’re on the subject of SEO, here’s something you already know.
Good SEO helps your business get discovered among your target audience.
But when you add explainer videos into the mix, the effectiveness of your SEO efforts go from good to great.
Let’s understand this by taking the example of a video landing page.
Most landing pages that rank on Google do so because they keep website visitors on their page for longer.
This is called “dwell time” and this is the SEO metric that makes or breaks your B2B’s online visibility efforts.
Explainer videos on a landing page increase dwell time by using their video length to their favor.
Another great way explainer videos boost SEO is through video distribution platforms like YouTube.
Whenever you search for something on Google, you must have noticed a medley of websites and YouTube videos ranking for your search, something like this:
Just like traditional websites, online videos rank equally well (Source: Semrush)
All in all, here’s the point I’m trying to make.
Regardless of the marketing channel you use, be it your website, your YouTube channel, or social media handles,
Explainer videos boost your visibility and build your SEO rankings across all channels.
The best part? It does so without discrediting the merits of your existing marketing channels.
We like to call this the Video-First Approach,
On which we have a dedicated video that goes into much more detail which you can check out here:
You might think social media is just for independent creators and B2Cs.
The truth is, it’s also a haven for B2Bs to drive ROI on lead generation and sales efforts.
With latest numbers from The Content Marketing Institute finding social media to be the top content distribution channel for B2Bs.
Social media is the top content distribution channel for B2Bs (Source: Content Marketing Institute)
The same survey also found that among the most effective content types, videos were the top content used by B2Bs, along with case studies and customer testimonials.
Video is the most effective social media content used by B2Bs (Source: Content Marketing Institute)
The reason for using videos and social media is simple.
The customers that B2Bs target in their marketing use social media the most.
And videos are the primary type of content that engages customers on social networks.
Explainer videos can be used on platforms like YouTube and alternative platforms to engage audiences who prefer long-format videos.
The same B2B explainer video can be repurposed into YouTube shorts or Instagram video ads to engage audiences with an inkling toward short-format content.
Explainer videos give B2Bs the flexibility to stand out among social media audiences in any way they want.
Our discussion ultimately boils down to one logical question.
If I use explainer videos in my B2B marketing, will I have an edge over my competitors?
Let’s look at this from a revenue perspective.
Latest numbers by Clum found that the use of videos had a direct correlation with growing revenue, leading to a growth of as much as 49% year-on-year.
Explainer videos are a great way to increase B2B revenue (Source: Clum)
It also quantitatively shows B2Bs that used explainer videos in their marketing had a leg up on brands that didn’t.
All in all, explainer videos play a major role in boosting important B2B metrics like:
And so much more.
Ready to give B2B explainer videos a shot?
I have just the right thing for you so you don’t go in blind.
Let’s look at how your B2B can fully leverage explainer videos the correct way in the next section.
Video production is not a random activity.
It’s a carefully orchestrated effort designed to get the best results out of your marketing videos.
The same applies to B2Bs and their explainer video production efforts.
Which brings our attention to the top two ways B2Bs can get started with their explainer videos.
Starting with…
One way to go about making your explainer videos is to take matters into your own hands.
In other words, producing your explainer videos in-house.
And for this, you would need some robust tools that don’t fail you.
Creating a compelling video script is the foundation of an effective explainer video.
These tools help streamline the scriptwriting process, ensuring clarity and coherence.
Storyboarding is crucial for visualizing the narrative flow and planning the shots of your B2B explainer video.
These tools facilitate the creation of detailed and organized storyboards to make your visualization process much more simpler.
Once you’re at this stage, there are two ways to go about making your explainer video.
You can either go the live-action route and skip straight to the tools for video editing.
Or set your sights on video animation.
But if you’ve decided to go with the latter, then it’s better to have tools at your disposal that help you make animated illustrations, graphics, and visual effects with ease.
Here are some best tools you can use:
For more options, check out our blog on the Best Free Animation Video Makers next.
Whether your explainer video is live-action, animated, or a mixture of both (mixed-media),
You need something to put everything together to get your end result.
Which is where video editing tools fill in the gap.
Here are some tools to help you get started:
Our blog on the Best Video Editing apps takes a deep dive into more such tools so you can definitely check it out if you want more options.
To maximize the impact of your B2B explainer videos, tracking their performance is essential.
This reveals opportunities for optimizations and new explainer video ideas.
So I give you 3 such video analytics tools to take your explainer videos to the next level.
We have a dedicated blog on some of the best video marketing tools for B2Bs you can check out next.
While the tools I have mentioned above can help you get started.
There are several factors that might hinder or stall your in-house explainer video production efforts.
What are those factors?
According to Hubspot, in 39% of cases, it’s a lack of time to create video content.
Lack of time is one of the major challenges in B2B video marketing (Source: Hubspot)
Which is where outsourcing your B2B explainer videos to an external agency can be the right thing to do.
With their video production expertise, you can get your explainer videos made much quicker.
And in a sea of external video agencies, there are plenty of popular names to choose from.
Our blog on the 20 Best Explainer Video Production Companies can help you choose the right one for your explainer video needs so do check it out next.
But before you hire an agency, you need to ask yourself two very important questions.
The simple answer is: It depends.
But there has to be an estimate, right?
According to our detailed video marketing survey, we found most B2Bs spend anywhere between $99 to $149 per hour on explainer video production.
Most B2Bs spend between $99 to $149 per hour for their explainer videos (Source: B2W’s Video Marketing Survey)
If we were to take things on a “cost per explainer video” basis,
According to Hubspot’s survey, the average explainer video cost came to around $7972.
With the lowest being $700 and going upwards of $72000 for a 60-second explainer video.
But to get a more accurate understanding,
I would recommend checking out our blog on Explainer Video Cost Breakdown where we explore accurate prices with real client examples to give you an estimate on your budget.
Again, the answer to this is: It depends.
But I won’t leave you hanging here.
Based on our experience, an explainer video can take an average of 4-6 weeks to complete.
From conception to sending it over to the client.
In some cases, it can take less than 4 weeks and upwards of 8 weeks too, depending on:
Based on this, if you commission your B2B explainer video to an external agency,
It’s very much possible that you can get your video made in 4-6 weeks.
But based on external factors, it can be quicker (or longer) too so do keep that in mind.
All the reasons we saw in this article point to one thing.
Using explainer videos for the sake of using videos isn't the end goal for B2Bs.
It’s a framework that requires extreme attention to detail.
From deciding to use B2B explainer videos to figuring out the financial and time investment needed.
Everything is a well-thought-out strategy
Meant to give B2Bs a clear path forward to meet their marketing goals.
And when used properly, explainer videos can not only unlock new horizons for B2B business growth.
But also help you make a difference in the lives of your customers and the industry your serve.
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